Show Me What You Got
by scribblemyname
Summary: Bucky waited for her to think it over, patiently, knowing Maria didn't cede authority without choosing to do so. Finally, she nodded and let him lead her by the wrist.
1. The Right Answer

_Prompt by classics_love on the LJ Comment Fic comm: Author's choice, any het pairing, "Will you be the big spoon?"_

* * *

The first hint Bucky had that Maria was just as strong as he'd always suspected but not nearly as content with her emotional isolation was when she hesitated before settling in to sleep, hand hovering an inch above his, and asked, "May I?"

He hadn't the faintest idea really of what she was asking but he knew the right answer and nodded.

She rolled over, back to his chest, and pulled his arm over her hips until she had arranged him satisfactorily as the big spoon, then sighed contentedly as she snuggled in closer. She had been anything but gentle or hesitant in rearranging him, and he found himself hiding a grin in her shoulder.

"Shut up," she said crossly.

"Didn't say anything, doll."

Maria sighed, less contented and more annoyed, and tightened her grip on his hand. "Good night."

Bucky knew the right answer to that one too. "Good night, ma'am."


	2. At the Negotiation Table

_Prompt by daria234 at the Comment Fic LJ comm: MCU, Steve/Natasha or Any/Maria, she likes being dominated in bed (and only in bed)_

* * *

"The only way this is going to work," Maria informs him bluntly, "is if you understand that this is very context specific. The only place you order me around is the bedroom."

"Whatever you want, d—"

Maria slaps her hand over Bucky's mouth before he has the chance to finish. "I dislike that endearment."

"Uh, right." He grins that same charming grin he usually tries to melt girls' hearts with, and she sighs.

"I don't know why I put up with you."

"Because I'm charming." He kisses her forehead. "And strong and a soldier, which is the kind of man you like."

"And here I thought it was because you were a great dancer," Maria counters dryly.

"That too," Bucky agrees.

She sighs and hands him the rope. "You're on probation. One strike, you're out."

"Your confidence in my abilities is astounding."

She giggles. _Maria_ giggles. Bucky does a double take.

"Come on, soldier. Show me what you've got."


	3. Mandatory Downtime

_Prompt by leni_ba at the Comment Fic LJ comm: any. any/any. "Lose those clothes. Now." So less sexy than I was expecting (and I'm starting to think I have a thing for ending fics this way), but hope you like!_

* * *

Bucky slammed the door on his way in and Maria looked up from her work she'd sprawled all over the living room coffe table. Papers threatened to topple and were half buried under four or five drained styrofoam cups. She didn't bother to actually count them up, not with Bucky taking in her glassy-eyed, ruffled hair appearance post-forty hour day of meetings with Fury, the World Security Council, and several handlers related to a massive operation she was supposed to have launched in three days.

Bucky walked over, wrapped his metal hand around one of her wrists, and started to pull her to her feet off the couch.

"Bedroom only," she reminded him absently but only tugged half-heartedly against him. She was tired, d— it, and wasn't really in the mood for a fight.

But he honest to goodness growled low in his throat and ordered, "Bedroom. Now."

It startled Maria and she stared at him for a long moment, suddenly fully alert and assessing the threat level of the man she'd allowed in her apartment (was it too late to take back the key?), but no, this was Bucky and she'd offered him dominance in the bedroom. This was like the bedroom. This was noting she needed to stop and be in the bedroom.

He waited for her to think it over, patiently, knowing she didn't cede authority without choosing to do so. Finally, she nodded and let him lead her by the wrist.

Inside, he kicked the door shut and let her go. "Lose those clothes. Now."

She was still in her suit dress from work. She watched the intensity in his gaze as his eyes darkened with each piece she dropped. Each article of clothing stripped away some of the tension and worry that came with being Deputy Director of SHIELD until at last she stood bare before him, simply Maria Hill, raising an eyebrow in question.

Bucky saw it, noted it, and stepped forward to yank the tie out of her hair with one twist of his metal fingers. She shuddered under the motion. It was a conscious and intentional reminder of his greater physical strength and resiliance as the touch of his skin carried an inherent intimacy, a conscious decision to bridge the gap between them and connect.

Her eyes lowered and she didn't speak. In this moment, she gave him back some of the power he'd never had under HYDRA, and he preferred not to hear words.

He tipped her chin upward and looked in her eyes as he worked his right hand through her hair, tugging enough to hurt, to make her _feel_ it, and watching for her reaction. She didn't know what was looking for, just waited and sighed into the harsh caress.

"You're tired," he said at last and pushed her gently back toward the bed.

She let him guide her between the covers and held very still as he stepped away from her, stripped out of his own clothes, and then joined her. He wrapped himself around her and tugged her head to rest on his shoulder.

It wasn't what she'd been expecting, but Maria had slowly begun to give up having expectations for Bucky. He was constantly surprising her.

He tangled his right hand into her hair again and gently, soothingly ran his fingers through it over and over in a stroke that made her feel almost catlike leaning into it. Conscious decisions and deliberate intimacy.

She relaxed into his vigilance and tumbled into dreams.


	4. Tap That

_Prompt by classics_lover: Any, any/any, "Me. You. Bed. Now." ...are you sure you mean me?"_

* * *

When Maria gets the fifth compliment for tapping Captain America, she flushes with irritation and embarrassment and picks up the phone to call Natasha.

"Tell me what's hit the gossip pool."

Natasha pauses for a long moment. "You won't like it."

"I already don't," Maria snaps back.

Natasha sighs, and Maria very much doesn't like it. "Someone took pictures of you teaching him how to dance and posted them online."

Maria closes her eyes for a moment to mentally count to ten and groan. "Of all the ignorant—"

"There's commentary," Natasha interrupts. "Barnes saw it."

* * *

Bucky is in the training gym, sparring with Thor, when Maria marches in and orders, "Me. You. Bed. Now."

Thor halts the fight, looking surprised.

Bucky looks irritated. "Are you sure you mean me?"

Maria has never had much time or energy to indulge even the adult versions of temper tantrums, so she simply grabs his shirt and yanks him in the right direction. The Winter Soldier could probably snap her in half, and she should probably be taking a moment to be thankful that Bucky has mostly put that behind him and does nothing of the sort, but she doesn't because gratitude isn't at all what she needs to deal with this. Not when she's faced with her hurt, angry… well, boyfriend, in her bedroom at two o'clock in the afternoon.

There's a vicious sort of satisfaction in knowing she turned quite a few heads down the hallway as she brought him here. She's stripping now, and there's another surge of satisfaction when she sees desire on Bucky's face.

He kisses her or she kisses him, hard to say who started it, and she's telling him, "Bed," in her most commanding tone, even though usually he's the one allowed to give orders in here.

It's angry and fast. He's put the Soldier behind him, but there are still parts of his brain that answer as that when faced with a command, and she's commanding, telling him, "Here," and, "Harder," and, "Not like that." He's letting her when their agreement says she's the one that's supposed to be compliant in bed.

At last, they are lying breathless and tangled.

"You should have just asked me," Maria snipes. She's never been known for pulling her punches.

Bucky gives her a slightly betrayed look. "What _were_ you doing with him?" he demands.

"Getting him over his two left feet before he takes Sharon's toes off."

The silence is harsh with Bucky's ragged breathing. She's forcing her own to calm down.

After a long moment, Bucky finally sighs and rolls over to kiss her forehead. "I'm sorry."

Maria stares at him, then nods curtly. She hasn't entirely forgiven him the lack of trust, but it's okay, it's understandable, and she's not much more inclined to indulge herself than him.


End file.
